AFSCME on the Front Lines on Earth Day

http://www.afscme.org/press/28071.cfm

For IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, April 22, 2010
AFSCME on the Front Lines on Earth Day

Union Renews Commitment to Protecting the Environment

Washington, DC — On Earth Day 2010, AFSCME members join people across the world in renewing our commitment to protect the environment.

“We understand the dangers to our communities and the world posed by global climate change and other environmental threats,” said AFSCME International Pres. Gerald W. McEntee. “AFSCME members are on the front lines this Earth Day. From recycling and collecting solid waste to protecting natural resources to designing green schools, we work every day to achieve a safe and healthy environment in our workplaces and communities.”

AFSCME members, in their jobs and in coalition with environmental and community groups, work to stop global warming, to secure cleaner air and water, and to protect our earth’s fragile environment against exploitation by private interests.

“AFSCME is greening its house,” said McEntee. “We want to ensure that our members are key participants in moving our workplaces and communities toward sustainability.”

Since the time of the nation’s first Earth Day, AFSCME has been committed to environmental protection. Delegates at the 1970 AFSCME Convention stated that “the right of all persons to a healthy, safe and pleasant environment in which to live and work is fundamental.” To achieve this right the delegates called upon the “administration and the Congress to vigorously support all programs to curtail pollution of the environment in any form.” AFSCME members have helped to protect the environment since then and renew their commitment today

AFSCME’s 1.6 million members provide the vital services that make America happen. With members in hundreds of different occupations – from nurses to corrections officers, child care providers to sanitation workers – AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and prosperity and opportunity for all working families.

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American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO
1625 L Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036-5687
Telephone (202) 429-1145
Fax (202) 429-1120
Related Materials

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Download AFSCME's Flier for the Climate Rally on the National Mall (120k PDF) http://www.afscme.org/docs/GreenJobsEarthDay2010.pdf